Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

In this year, while we hold the chair-in-office of the OSCE, we have decided to concentrate on the three areas of conflict which are within the OSCE region, namely, the conflict in Moldova regarding the Transdniestrian region; the conflict in Georgia regarding the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which is the subject of the Minsk Process. We are using the experiences in Northern Ireland to address these conflicts, not as a kind of template to settle other disputes because each dispute and conflict is different, but to provide encouragement to those who are engaged in the talks process to persist with it and use it as a way of guiding events forward. In addition, I have appointed two special representatives, ambassadors Pádraig Murphy and Erwan Fouéré, to assist me in attempting to move forward talks processes in those areas.

With regard to the Moldova-Transdniestrian conflict, we had the 5 + 2 discussions at Farmleigh in February, at which some progress was made, and there will be a seminar later this month on what can be learned from the Northern Ireland conflict. Delegates will visit Belfast and the talks will resume formally in July. I hope to be able to visit the southern Caucasus area with a view to looking at the situation in Georgia and at the Nagorno-Karabakh.dispute. It is really about concentrating on these three protracted conflicts and using our year of chairmanship of the OSCE to make a positive contribution to try to get settlements.

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